One of the largest cities in the world may soon run out of water: it is already restricted for millions

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One of the largest cities in the world, where about 22 million people live. people have been suffering from drought since the beginning of the year. In order to save water, access to it has been restricted for many residents – they get water by turning on the tap for about an hour every few days.

The drought is caused by several factors: decreasing rainfall, rising temperatures, and urban expansion, which further deplete urban water resources. Experts have warned that unless drastic measures are taken, “day zero”, when free water services will be completely cut off across the city, could happen in just a few months.

“We are withdrawing water twice as fast as the aquifer is being replenished. This causes damage to infrastructure, affects the water system and soil subsidence,” Jorge Alberto Arriaga, coordinator of Mexico’s water network, told Spanish newspaper El Pais.

About 60 percent Mexico City’s water comes from an underground aquifer, but the aquifer has been overused, so since the 1950s, the earth sinks about 51 cm per year. In addition, Mexico City is even recognized as the fastest sinking city in the world.

The city’s situation is complicated by its geography and history. Perched high above sea level, the city was once the site of the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan. in 1521 after conquering the city, the Spanish demolished it, drained the surrounding lake, and founded Mexico City on the soft, clay-rich soil of the lake bed. As a result, the city has become vulnerable to earthquakes, and due to the destruction of the natural water cycle, droughts are felt more intensely.

Droughts are also becoming longer and more severe due to climate change and the El Niño phenomenon (which has increased temperatures in the region and across Latin America).

To address the problem, officials said they will start digging more wells across the city, along with improving sewage treatment to ensure that all residents get enough water.

It is not yet clear whether these efforts will prevent “day zero” or whether it will become unstoppable on its way. “We have to consider that ‘day zero’ is now, because the rivers are polluted, the sources are overexploited, we have to understand that,” José Antonio Rodriguez Tirado, a water management consultant, told Forbes Mexico.

With the monsoon season not starting until May or June, residents will have to endure drought conditions until they can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

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